Opposition parties have dismissed calls by Republican Party leader Henk Mudge to form a coalition for the upcoming Presidential and National Assembly elections to topple Swapo.
He suggested this during a recent discussion among presidential candidates, held in Windhoek.
The veteran politician said the best bet to oust the current government is forming a coalition among opposition parties to win a majority in the National Assembly.
“The opposition cannot have its candidate become president if we have one Swapo presidential candidate, and five to six opposition candidates. It will just divide the votes, and Swapo will win,” Mudge asserted.
To mitigate this, he urged the opposition to unite and rally behind a sole representative for the elections to challenge Swapo’s might.
Opposition
Opposition parties New Era spoke to say this suggestion is uninformed.
Others, without mincing words, say Mudge is not a politician.
“He has no confidence in his own party. He was given a platform, where all opposition parties were talking about a possible coalition. But he ran out of those talks, and never attended a single meeting – only to make a public announcement, endorsing a particular candidate of his choice,” said Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader McHenry Venaani.
He expressed his disinterest in politicians who resurface only during elections, just to return to their cocoons soon thereafter.
“Where was he during the past five years?” Venaani wanted to know.
Unimpressed, he added that parties working together should be driven by a collective idea which benefits the country, rather than their common hatred for Swapo.
“There must be a joint agenda agreed upon by members. So, Mudge is not a serious politician, and I don’t take anything he says seriously,” he emphasised.
Irony
Last year, Venaani was at the forefront of opposition coalition talks in efforts to unseat Swapo.
In an interview with this reporter mid-last year, he said, “Opposition coalition remains the best way to unseat the ruling party”.
At that time, he also called for unity among opposition parties, and emphasised the need for political alliances to remove Swapo from power.
“We have seen that the opposition is becoming stronger collectively, and therefore we can leverage this collective bargaining to attain political power. Coalition politics is the order of the day – and where coalition is working, it is much faster to unseat the ruling government,” he said last year.
LPM
Speaking on Mudge’s coalition dream, Landless People’s Movement (LPM) spokesperson Lifalaza Simataa said each political party has its own ideology and focuses on certain concepts, which makes the coalition haphazard.
“We don’t share similar ideologies, nor has there been a conversation regarding that. We also believe that certain parties are just too different to form a coalition with. For example, PDM is a right-wing party, while LPM is a centre-left party, so we have different ideas on how government structures should work,” he said.
Simataa added that the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) seeks to change the entire governmental system, an idea the LPM does not entirely agree with.
Furthermore, he questioned who the representative would be, and how transparent the process would be.
Driving his point home, the orange army’s spokesperson branded coalition a silly idea that is paraded by those who are not grounded in their own ideologies.
He also said there is no opposition leader with whom the LPM is comfortable forming a government.
NEEF
Meanwhile, headed by businessman-cum-politician Epafras Mukwiilongo, the Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) also dismissed the idea.
Its deputy president Kalimbo Iipumbu said the RP does not have a clear political ideology or vision of what they want to deliver for the nation.
This, he said, is a major red flag.
“Before we talk of a coalition, we must first know our stance, who we represent, and what we want,” said Iipumbu.
He feels some opposition parties are now resorting to coalitions because they are becoming irrelevant.
“They are just there for the sake of it, but not to effect change and benefit the country. During the elections, NEFF will push forward solo as we believe in practical action, rather than just talking,” he noted.
Nudo
Meanwhile, Esther Utjiua Muinjangue of the National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo) said the RP has not approached them regarding the matter.
“We didn’t get an official proposal from them. So, I cannot comment vaguely, as they didn’t approach us specifically so that we look into it,” she added.
Coalition
Despite it being the first time since independence that political parties have collated to run a prominent council like the City of Windhoek, the coalition proved unfeasible, with parties constantly at odds with one another.
This has resulted in the city struggling for leadership.
During the 2019 elections, the PDM and the United People’s Movement (UPM) also collated in a bid to win the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
However, this alliance ended in tears after UPM started supporting independent presidential candidate Ally Angula.
This subsequently led to the PDM removing two of the UPM’s members from parliament, and the dispute ended in court.
While opposition leaders distanced themselves from forming coalitions, in some instances, it hit closer to home, if the recent outcome of the South African elections is anything to go by.
One of the oldest liberation movements in Africa, the African National Congress, has found itself seeking coalition partners after failing to obtain 50% of the national votes to lead.
Local commentators have seen this as a rude awakening for other former liberation movements on the continent.
In an interview with this paper this week, the Institute for Public Policy Research executive director Graham Hopwood said “Swapo should examine carefully why the ANC has lost support, if it wants to avoid the same fate. Namibian opposition parties are likely to see the result as a confidence- booster.”